Little Dragon

Chapter 16: Nightmares Abound

Story: Little Dragon

Authors Note: A little dark compared to the last few chapters. Sorry about that but hey, blame the muse!

I can't believe that I'm already on the 16th chapter! If my original posting schedule had been followed we would only be on the 3rd chapter! I can't believe how much progress I have made with this and it's all thanks to you and your wonderful reviews! :3

Warning, this is a little bloody. I have a fight scene in it. Come on! It's Halloween! What's Halloween without some sort of mental trauma? Yeah, I know but hey, it's in the name!

Disclaimer: ~Looks up at the moon through a child's bedroom window~ Oh don't look at me like that old friend. You knew this day was coming. My fan girls are ready... Are your copywriters? (No I don't own ROTG either!)
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As time continued forward Harry seemed to become more and more restless. Something seemed wrong. Very wrong, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was.

Professor Quirrell was... Unsettling to be around. His stuttering was far too frequent to be a natural ailment but then again the excessive stutter could be a side effect of the acute paranoia that he seemed to suffer from. Whatever had happened with those vampires must have really done a number on him to cause that.

Though that didn't explain the other reasons that caused him to feel awkward around the professor.

The professor had taken to looking at him... Oddly. As though he were an obstacle in his way or even in some obscure form of jealousy. That is, when he actually looked at Harry. The professor had a habit of making sure that Harry was constantly behind him even when addressing a question that he had asked, he would simply turn and face the board even though he did no writing. Whenever this happened Harry would be overcome with the feeling of being watched by someone unpleasant yet there was no one in the room who could have caused it...

When his unease was not directed at the professor then it lay firmly with whatever was being contained behind the doors in the third floor corridor.

Whatever it was that was being kept locked away in there seemed to be growing restless itself if the faint rumbling of growls or the sound of claws scratching against marble flooring was anything to go by.

What exactly Dumbledore had deigned to hold within the castle that could cause death to any unlucky student that so much as chose the wrong door worried him greatly.

The man was a fool, greater than any he had had the misfortune to have encountered before. The only bright side to the whole foolish episode was that the reign of Albus Dumbledore would soon come to an end. That is, if he even made it through the remainder of the year.

Until then Harry would wait and be prepared. He and his friends had already agreed that they would travel in groups if only for the company that it offered.

It was even growing more and more common place for those of the various houses to mingle with each other out side of classes. In fact, the four house tables in the great hall were quickly becoming mere tables and to think, it all had begun because of an escaped toad!
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Everything was falling apart. Sure his social standing still held some small smidgen of power but that meant little to him now...

He might have been able to come back from the Gringotts incident, they were only goblins and perfectly able to forge those documents. All he would have to do would be to pad a few pockets with what was left, steal what he still needed and he could finally be rid of those bloody nuances but no. He couldn't, not yet. They might be of use later...